Archives

June 2013

We’ve all experienced it – Debris whips into your eyes at the beach, cleaning solution splashes into your eye, your dog paws at your eye while playing, your child flings a toy across the room and hits you in the eye­­. When an unexpected and painful situation arises, be prepared to act fast. Here are four major types of eye injuries that can quickly turn into emergencies, and steps to follow to minimize the damage.

Foreign Solution: Cleaning your home, working on your car, or simply standing in the wrong place at the wrong time can expose your eyes to an unwanted splash of harmful chemicals.

Flush your eyes with a continuous stream of room temperature tap water for a few minutes.

If you are still suffering, you can gently place a cool compress on your lids.

Call our office to schedule an appointment at 732-775-5566. Our doctors are on call 24 hours a day.

The chemical makeup of the substance is critical to determining your treatment. For example, acids (sharp odor, corrosive, sour tasting) cause severe pain and redness that sometimes make the eye look and feel worse than it truly is, whereas alkaline liquid is more detrimental to the eye – inflicting significant damage such as blindness – even though it causes less immediate discomfort. Be armed with the name of the substance, and inform your doctor or the emergency room staff so they can better treat your injury.

Foreign Body:

DO NOT try to remove anything that penetrates the eye (wood, fish hooks) – it may do more harm than good.

Call our office to schedule an appointment at 732-775-5566. Our doctors are on call 24 hours a day. If you happen to be outside the area go immediately to the emergency room.

Place a shield over the eye for protection and to avoid further injury.

If you happen to get smaller slivers of metal in your eye, don’t downplay the injury. Some may not consider the need for medical attention, thinking small pieces will resolve on their own. That is a mistake: small slivers of metal will cause issues down the road such as scarring. They must be removed in a sterile environment by a professional.

Corneal Abrasion: Caused by something that scratches the surface of the eye­­. For example, you scratch your eye with a fingernail while removing a contact lens or aggressively rub your lid while there is sand present. Do not take this condition lightly. Sure signs of an abrasion are irritation and sensitivity to light.

Do not rub your eye. Bacteria may be present, and you want to avoid infection.

Call our office to schedule an appointment at 732-775-5566. Our doctors are on call 24 hours a day.

Without treatment, you may develop complications from the infection and, in rare cases, blindness can result.

Blunt Trauma: If you are poked in the eye during a pickup game or an object is forcefully thrust into your eye, it may cause traumatic iritis. This requires immediate medical treatment – however, even with treatment there is a possibility of permanently decreased vision.

Do not wait for pain to decrease or to see how you feel after a few days. Call our office to schedule an appointment at 732-775-5566. Our doctors are on call 24 hours a day.

Traumatic Iritis occurs when the colored part of the eye is inflamed, torn, or bruised, causing sensitivity to the anterior structures of the eye. The iris will not expand and contract as usual to control the amount of light that enters through to the back of the eye. Depending how the condition progresses it may cause changes in pressure, which your doctor will monitor.

If you experience an eye emergency, our doctors are on call 24 hours a day at 732-774-5566. Even if you feel the injury may not be that serious, seek immediate attention so you can preserve your vision to enjoy the life you have!

Remember, protective eyewear prevents 90 percent of all eye injuries. Read about our complete line of protective eyewear here so you can protect your eyes while enjoying your active lifestyle.

Last week in honor of Cataract Awareness Month, we discussed intraocular lens choices for cataract surgery. This week, we’re answering one popular question often fielded by our doctors: “If my cataracts are removed, will they grow back?”

The answer to this question is no. However, months to years after the cataract surgery, you can develop a clouding of the capsule behind the lens implant. This is called posterior capsule opacification (PCO). If this occurs, a surgical laser procedure known as a yag capsulotomy may be necessary to restore vision.

The capsule is like a clear bag that forms the natural outer portion of the lens of the eye. During cataract surgery (in which the discolored natural lens of the eye is removed), part of the front (anterior) capsule is removed while the remainder of the capsular bag is left intact. The lens implant is inserted inside this capsular bag. As long as that capsule stays clear, the patient will have good vision. But in 10 – 30% of people, the back (posterior) of the capsule loses its clarity over time. When this happens, an opening can be made in the posterior capsule with a laser (yag capsulotomy) to restore normal vision.

Before the laser procedure, one of our doctors conducts a thorough ophthalmic examination to make sure there is no other reason for vision loss. A yag capsulotomy is painless and takes less than 5 minutes – Our doctors perform this procedure at our state-of-the-art outpatient facility in Brick, Seashore Surgical. Vision may be blurry for a short while afterwards, but usually improves during the ﬁrst 24 hours.

In honor of Cataract Awareness Month, our topic today focuses on three intraocular lens choices. When the time comes for you to schedule cataract surgery, this information will prepare you so that you can make an informed decision. In addition to the standard lens, you now have more choices thanks to Advanced Technology lens options. The one caveat – you must be a candidate.

STANDARD (MONOFOCAL)

MULTIFOCAL (ReSTOR®)

ASTIGMATISM (TORIC®)

This standard lens corrects for single vision. After surgery, you will need to wear either distance or reading glasses. If you have an astigmatism, it will not be corrected with this lens – so you may need glasses all the time.

This advanced technology multifocal lens gives you the benefit of near, intermediate, and distance vision – reducing your dependence on glasses for reading and distance.The difference: We are correcting both your near and distance vision.

This advanced technology lens specifically corrects for astigmatism. Your distance vision will be corrected just as the standard, but this lens goes one step further with astigmatic correction. After cataract surgery your dependence on distance or reading glasses will be reduced.

What makes me a candidate?

What makes me a candidate?

What makes me a candidate?

Anyone diagnosed with cataracts can have the standard lens implanted during cataract surgery.

You must have good eye health and not suffer from eye disease.

You must be diagnosed with an astigmatism.

To find out your eligibility, please call our office at 732-774-5566 to schedule a Cataract Evaluation with Dr. Del Negro or Dr. Senft. Learn which option is best suited for you and your lifestyle – every treatment is customized to meet your individual needs.